Portland voters have agreed to continue a special tax levy that pays for services for at-risk children.
Early primary returns Tuesday show that voters have overwhelmingly approved Measure 26-197, continuing the Portland Children’s Levy, a tax of 41 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value — or around $75 a year — for the typical homeowner.
The levy generates about $15 million a year that the city of Portland uses to help children who’ve suffered abuse and neglect, children from lower-income parts of the city, and children of color who may not enjoy the same academic or recreational options as their white classmates.
This is the fourth time voters have approved the levy. It’s the brainchild of City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who is retiring this year. Saltzman had hoped to find a permanent funding source for the levy rather than continue to take it to voters, but that hasn’t happened yet.